Hi friends,

I am currently grappling with the issue of measuring the performance of the employees who are in to software development. Before that let me give you a brief on our existing performance management system.

Our system is based on the age old concept of Goals and Personality factors. Goals are set at the beginning of the review period which is 6 months. At the end of the review period, the employee fills up the self appraisal form. The employee's performance is then evaluated by comparing levels of achievement against the standards set. The weights assigned to goals and personality factors will vary depending on nature of job and level in the organization. We have been in a position to identify performance standards and measurement criteria for most of the non technical functions. Now we have started doing the same for software development too.

I believe the most important criteria to measure the performance of a software engineer are:

1. Time
2. Accuracy (minimum bugs, following coding conventions, optimizing code etc.)

Now I wanted to find out from the HR fraternity in the other IT companies as to what is being practiced in their organizations. Looking forward to hearing from you.

senthil